Village Manager To Be Cop Chief Temporarily

Bensenville Village Manager Kurt Bressner will don the police chief's hat at least until October after the resignation this week of Acting Chief Carl Dobbs.

"I took an oath of office to serve the community, and this is how the village trustees think I can best serve," said Bressner about the appointment, which he acknowledged is "a little unusual."

Dobbs resigned a month ahead of schedule, citing personal reasons.

Trustees hired Dobbs, who retired as Wheaton police chief in 1995, to reorganize the Police Department after one officer was indicted on a charge of official misconduct and another was put on administrative leave pending the results of a county investigation into his actions on duty.

Bensenville has been without a permanent police chief since December 1997, when Chief Walt Hitchuk resigned and moved from the village because of his wife's health, said Trustee Peggy Walberg. Sgt. Craig Grude had been acting chief until May when Dobbs was named.

Dobbs has worked to improve services to residents; inventoried the department's rules and regulations; updated equipment and facilities; refined the department's emergency response plan; coached individual officers; and drawn up training profiles on all police officers, Bressner said.

The Village Board accepted Dobbs' resignation "with regret," according to a village news release.

One of Bressner's top priorities as acting police chief will be to launch the search for a permanent chief, he said. Officials hope to hire a chief by late fall.

Bressner will continue to serve as village manager but is delegating some of his duties to Assistant Village Manager Kevin Barr and to village department heads.

Bressner also announced Wednesday that he has appointed Sgt. Frank Kosman and Patrolman Thomas Herion as deputy police chiefs.